Free to serve the Church, Free to serve God
The seminarians, in addition to the solid academic training received at the Ecclesiastical Schools, live at the Bidasoa International Seminary, affiliated to the School of Theology at the University of Navarra. Their mission is to provide vocational guidance to future priests and to help develop in each of them a priestly soul: a heart of a father and pastor, imbued with the same sentiments of Christ.
It is bishops from over 40 countries in the five continents who send seminarians to acquire academic, human, and spiritual formation in preparation for their future pastoral work upon returning to their home dioceses.
Likewise, it is the bishops themselves who send some priests to further their studies through a Licentiate or Doctorate programs. Their formation is enriched through daily living in the familial atmosphere of a priestly household.
Perpetual Scholarship
A Perpetual Scholarship is established by a donation to the Ecclesiastical Schools of the University of Navarra endowment. When the student scholarship recipient completes his program of study, the scholarship automatically passes to another student. It is the interest that goes to the scholarship
Average Annual cost per student
Total: 17.500 €
Accommodation and full board at Bidasoa IS/Pastoral Residencies
€
How to give?
In order to deduct charitable donations for lower taxes in the USA, donations may be channeled through the Woodlawn Foundation, recognized as a public charity by the IRS. This foundation receives contributions and provides grants to nonprofit organizations that receive pastoral care from the Catholic Prelature of Opus Dei.
Woodlawn:
Gifts from alumni and friends in the USA are welcomed by “Friends of the University of Navarra”. Donations may be taxdeductible for US taxpayers.
while the initial amount contributed to the Fund remains. Every academic year, the Endowent’s distribution will cover the annual tuition, housing and other expenses for a seminarian or a priest.
Perpetual Scholarship: 500,000€
Annual distribution to the Scholarships: 3.5%
There are two ways you can make a contribution:
1.
Bank Transfer
JPMorgan Chase Bank.
ACCOUNT OWNER
Woodlawn Foundation Inc
NAME ON THE ACCOUNT Friends of the University of Navarra
CONCEPT Donation for Ecclesiastical Schools Scholarships
BANK ADDRESS
270 Nort h Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10801
ABA
021000021
ACCOUNT NUMBER
257979580
2.
Checks can be made out to “Friends of the University of Navarra” and mailed to:
Woodlawn Foundation, Inc.
56 Harrison Street, Suite 401 New Rochelle, NY 10801-6560
CONCEPT Donation for Ecclesiastical Schools Scholarships
#35 Reputation
Our commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and service positions us as a leader in academic quality. According to the renown QS Ranking (2023), the University of Navarra ranks #35 among the world's top universities in the field of 'Theology and Religious Studies.'
98% Academic Performance
The diligence of our students, their consistent class attendance, the pedagogical expertise of our faculty and the engagement of each student's mentor are reflected in their academic performance. Consequently, the academic performance rate per student (the
percentage ratio of credits earned in a course for the total credits enrolled) approaches 100%.
4.7/5
Student Satisfaction
Our annual surveys enable us to understand students' needs and concerns and to implement necessary changes accordingly. Furthermore, they consistently affirm our trajectory: "Would you recommend a colleague, family member, or friend to study at the Ecclesiastical Schools of the University of Navarra?" The response is overwhelmingly affirmative.
1.4M +1,400,000 Volumes printed in the Library
The Humanities Library boasts a voluminous collection that establishes it as a premier research
Hub. Subscriptions to electronic resources grant access to 165,000,000 online articles.
7,000
Ecclesiastical Schools Alumni
Since the mid-twentieth century, over 7,000 alumni from more than fifty countries have been educated within our halls.
30
Bishops
30 alumni are nowadays Bishops, spread all over the world. Carrying out their pastoral work in countries such as the USA, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Equatorial Guinea or Kazakhstan.
Origin of students for academic year 23/24
Students by condition 23/24
A lasting legacy for good
Originally from Tabasco, Mexico, Héctor Alejandro Pérez is currently 30 years old. He was ordained in August 2020 in Tabasco, and in September, he returned to the University of Navarra to pursue a Licentiate in Theology, which he completed in 2022.
“My aspiration is to educate myself furt her to provide better service to the Church." During his years at the seminary in Villahermosa, Mexico, he studied books authored by professors who later taught him in Pamplona: "It was so thrilling to meet the authors of the books I had read. They shared their love for Theology first hand. From them, I learned that theology is a way to love God. No one loves what they do not know, and they instilled in us the hunger to know God more.”
Héctor Alejandro Pérez TEO 22
Originally from Sri Lanka, Hasitha Menaka Nanayakkara is currently 31 years old. He completed his Bachelor's in Theology in June 2021. He was one of the two first students from Sri Lanka to come and study at the University of Navarra.
“Both at the University and at the Bidasoa International Seminary, we are provided with the necessary environment to educate ourselves and overcome challenges. The purpose of a priest's life is not about himself, but about loving the Lord and one's neighbor, and that is evident in each of the hundred classmates from different countries who study here.”
Hasitha Menaka Nanayakkara Bach. TEO 21
